Admiration
by Kapsule corp
Summary: Bulma has a confrontion with both Krillin and 18 before they get married. Oneshot.


I can't say I'm as proud of this as I am my K/18 one-shot. I don't like to toot my own horn(turst me), but that was pretty freaking good. This is definitely not up to that standard, but it's alright. Really it is. So give it a try and if you have advice to make it better I welcome it. If I get enough suggestions I'll fix it up and re-post.

Disclaimer: If I owned DbZ, Gt would have been done much better, Goten would have never gotten a hair cut after Z, and Gohan's glasses would be much cooler. So I think we all know I don't.

**_Admiration._**

Bulma stood digging her shoe into the sand. She stared at the house she had visited for much of her young life. That Roshi was a strange one. It looked as weird as it always had. Small, and pink. Those dumb red letters on the front that spelled Kame were still there too. She never was fond of that. It seemed ridiculous to name a house. Sure Capsule Corp. was printed across her own but that was business. Something though, something was different.

She couldn't put her fingers on it. But there was something here that was. . .wrong. Very wrong. It was something big. Why couldn't she figure out what it was? Kicking the ground she decided she would just ask when she got inside. She began to stomp toward the house. She slowed as she got closer though. It was almost like she was avoiding it. She stopped and examined her reasons for coming here again.

He had found the love of his life. He was engaged. He was getting married. And. . . it bothered her. She didn't know why. She loved Vegeta didn't she? They were mated for life, he could never be with another. And they had a son together. So why was she here? Why was she desperate to talk with _him_? She and he had never even been together. She kicked the sand again and started back toward the stairs.

She didn't know why, but she needed to talk with him, and dammit she was going to! She grabbed the doorknob and stopped again. 'What if he doesn't want to see me?'she though bitterly. His crush on her had been obvious from the time they were young. So what if that was all that kept them friends? Would he want to see her now that he was with another? What if. . .

She sighed rolling her eyes. This was completely stupid, there was no way Krillin would let go of a friendship that easily. He had nothing else in his life, but-

But that girl of his. His fiancé. Bulma hadn't even met her yet actually. That must be it. That's why she was here. Krillin was her friend and she was concerned about her 'little brother.' That was all, she just wanted to make sure this women wouldn't hurt him. Like she had done with that bimbo Maron. She didn't bother knocking, she never did. She knew she was always welcome here. Smiling to herself, she opened the door.

Too bad what she saw killed that theory. For Krillin was there in the living room, but he was _**far**_ from being alone. His fiancé was with him. At least she assumed it to be his fiancé. She must have been right, considering the two were locked in what could easily be called a very desirous and passionate kiss. She felt her cheeks redden from what must have been embarrassment and not anger. That's what she told herself anyway. She came fully inside and slammed the door shut.

The couple on the couch broke apart at the sound. Krillin smiled seeing it was Bulma who had interrupted them. This reaction gave her an admitibly brief sense of pride. He stood up and said very enthusiastically, the blush still lingering on his face, "Bulma. What are you doing here so late? You normally call."

She didn't answer, her gaze had shifted to the woman behind him. That was the woman, or rather Android, he was marrying. She painfully admitted to herself that she was kind of pretty. She had straight blond hair that looked like it fell there naturally. Her skin practically glowed and looked softer than a new born's. Her eyes were a hypnotizing shade of ice blue. Worst of all Bulma noted that she seemed a couple of years younger than Krillin, meaning she was several years younger than her.

Krillin noticed Bulma's gaze and followed it to 18. He smacked his head and laughed. "Oh, you two haven't met yet, have you? Bulma, this my fiancé 18,"he motioned with his hands. "18 this is my good friend Bulma Briefs."he motioned again. Bulma gave false smile as they muttered hellos to one another. 18 looked her up and down, and Bulma definitely noticed.

"What are you doing?"she asked loudly her face red. That was all 18 needed.

"I'm going outside for a minute. Hope you two don't mind."she stood and went for the door. On her way she kissed Krillin softly and shortly as she passed him. Then continued throwing Bulma a look she knew all too well. Bulma herself had used it when other girls were around Yamcha. 18 was marking her territory and making it clear for Bulma to back off. Bulma glared back until she was fully out the door.

"Sorry."she heard Krillin say "She's weird when it comes to people she doesn't know. Once you're with her for awhile she warms up."she turned to see him sitting back down and motioning for her to join him. She did and made it clear in her body language she had little to no intention of warming up to that women in any way.

"It's alright."she answered, "It's interesting though, I've never pictured you with someone like her."Truth be told she had never pictured him with _anyone_, ever. Expect with her, a few lonely nights on Namek. Bulma yelled at herself inwardly for thinking that.

Krillin looked sad and whispered, "Because she's so beautiful. I know. I can't believe it either."his face brightened, "But she said yes, and she wants to be with me. I really can't believe it sometimes. That all my dreams are coming true. That I'm marrying the most perfect woman on the planet. But they are and I am." His smile brightened even more.

Bulma felt a twinge of jealousy when she heard that. She remembered when **she** was the most perfect woman in the world to Krillin. Now all of a sudden she wasn't, this made her mad. How could he do that to her? Say that to her? It was wrong. Purely wrong. She-

Wait why did she care? What did it matter to her if Krillin loved the Android? _She loved __**Vegeta.**_ Vegeta not Krillin. Krillin was no where near the kind of man she wanted. He was. . . ,Well he was. . ., And then there was. . . Well it didn't matter what he was, the point was she didn't love him. She could never love Krillin. She had never loved him. She could n't love Krillin because. . .because. . .because. . .

'_Because of how he looks_.'her mind taunted. Bulma suddenly looked at the floor, no she wasn't that shallow. Was she? Of course not, never. She would never believe that. How could she be shallow? She had seen passed all of Vegeta's bad points, his temper, his past, his ego. All of it and she still loved him.

'_But Vegeta has a face to die for_.'her mind argued. '_Does Krillin?_' 'No,'she admitted. 'He doesn't. He's ugly, and short, and clumsy. And for that I can never love him.' So why was upset that he was getting married?! None of it made sense. She looked back up at him and noticed Krillin was calling her name.

"Bulma, you in there?"he called waving his hand in front of her face. She nodded and he smiled, "Good I thought I'd lost you. Was I boring you?"she didn't answer. Instead a very interesting question came to her mind.

"Krillin, why do you look that way?"she realized she never knew. Most of her life she had just excepted that Krillin looked that way. He was small, and ugly end of story. But now she suddenly wanted to know why he was that way.

Krillin looked shocked at her sudden boldness. Not many people actually knew why he looked the way he did. In fact he could only think of three people who had ever asked that. Bulma was not one of them. She had never seemed to care about it before now. It was below her to care.

Sighing he began a story he only told to select number. "The first thing you have to know is that, I never knew my parents well. I was very young when I mother left me at the monastery, and she wasn't with my father before then."

"So what you don't know anything about them?"Bulma couldn't grasp that. She had wished her whole life for less embarrassing and goofy parents, but she never imagined not actually knowing them. The whole idea seemed unreal. This mad her feel. . .angry.

"No, I know some things."he answered his face thoughtful, "My dad was 6 foot 4, had short ebony hair with brown eyes. He twenty five when they got married. He was really into drugs and died some months before I was born. I don't know how."he looked at the floor, but said most of it lightly. It was almost as if he were speaking of the weather.

"I know a little more about my mom though."he continued his voice becoming heavier, "She was 6 foot 2 with short ebony hair and onyx eyes. She married my dad at 19 and was a very heavy drinker. They fought a lot, and she left him while he was dying since he was too weak to stop her. She lived wherever she could for awhile, but it became harder after I was born. So when I was around four she left me by the gates of the temple and told me she'd come back in an hour or two for me." He looked back at Bulma with a tinge of sick humor in his eyes. "Guess you could say she was a little late coming back huh? I'm not sure what happened to her."

Bulma looked away from him and felt her cheeks become red once more. Something terrible was growing in her. Her anger was multiplying. She could feel it. She would burst any moment, but she didn't stop him from speaking.

"It's kind of weird really."he said a smile coming to his lips. "The master there had known her when they were young. They were friends. So it was nice to know she wanted me to be in good hands when she left me. That she had some plan for me." Bulma clenched her fists and bit her lip, but still said nothing.

"I think she wanted to make up for never believing I would make it."he said apparently lost and not mindful of Bulma's reaction to his words, "Once when she was mad at me she told me that the only reason she had me was because she couldn't afford an abortion and no one believed I would live more than a month due to her drinki-"he never finished. Bulma had broke. She had punched him hard in the face.

She stood and started toward the door when she heard him yell back to her, "What the hell did you do that for?!" She turned to face him.

"For lying to try and make me feel sorry for you."she yelled back. "Is that the same sob story you gave your little girlfriend? No wonder she's marrying you, if you made her feel that bad about your little problem."

"What?"he asked startled, "Why would I make that stuff up? I-"

"For pity."she continued to yell. She had asked a serious question and he had turned it into a pity fest. "You always want other people to feel sorry for you. 'Oh poor Krillin he had a bad childhood.' 'He's so abused he needs to find a good girl.' Blah, blah, blah."

"Stop, that's not tr-"he started tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Yes, it is. You're a liar, and the only good you've ever done is die so Goku could beat Freeza."she finished walking out the front door leaving behind her a very hurt and confused Krillin. She couldn't believe she had wasted her time flying out here. He had lied, and tried to make her feel sorry for him. Well she didn't need Krillin. No one did, pathetic little jerk.

"Just because you feel bad doesn't mean you have a right to make others suffer."a harsh female voice cut Bulma off guard and she whipped around quickly. No one was there. Turning back, however, she saw 18 leaning on the side of her copter. Her arms were crossed and her gaze was hard and cold. Bulma shivered unconsciously from it, but soon her face hardened and she crossed her own arms.

"Get off my plane and let me go."she demanded in a yell. 18 acted as if she had said nothing and continued her hateful glare.

"_**You**_ hurt Krillin,"she stated simply, "and you have no right to." Bulma rolled her eyes and sighed growing annoyed.

"What do you know? You and he have only known each other, what? Three months." she yawned, "There is no possible way you can thi-"

"_You_ also have no right to judge me."18 bit cutting Bulma off, "or our relationship." Walking forward she came close to Bulma. Close enough to touch her if she reached out her arm. Which she did. Both actually. So fast Bulma didn't notice till the Android had a painfully tight grip on her. "But how about I let you in on a small secret. Whatever little cat and mouse tease game who had with _my fiancé _before is done. He has no reason to chase you anymore. Accept it. Now go back to your pampered play house and leave real life alone for awhile."

"Play house?!"Bulma yelled and 18 released her. Yet her face was still hard and cold. "You think my life is a picnic?! Well let me tell you it's not. I have a baby to raise, a company to run and a boyfriend who won't stay home longer than two weeks-"

"But that's okay."18 interrupted calmly, "You can just come here and cry on Krillin's shoulder. Let him hold you and tell you it's okay. Make him feel like he's the greatest most understanding guy on the planet, and then jump in bed with Veggie head the second he's back. That's what you always do right?" 18 gave her an icy glare and stepped forward. Bulma made a move to step back but instead held her ground.

"So? Krillin is my friend, that's what friends do."Bulma crossed and uncrossed her, not sure how to stand. "They help you when you need it. They support you."

"That's why you are so supportive of mine and Krillin's marriage?"18 asked harshly. Bulma bit her lip and back off a few steps. Her gaze fell to the ground and she collected her thoughts. No, she wasn't supportive of their marriage. But there had to be a good reason, there just had to be. Looking back up he saw a small smirk on 18 lips, who knew she had hit her mark, and the reason hit her.

"I don't believe you love him."she screamed stepping forward again. "I think you're a evil creation of Dr. Gero and you find sick pleasure in torturing Krill-"she didn't finish 18 had grabbed her and slammed her against her own copter. Her calm stare had morphed into a scowl of pure and raw anger. Her face had twisted in such a way that Bulma wondered if this was the same girl as before.

"Who do **you** think you are questioning my loyalty and love for Krillin?"18 hissed. Her icy eyes had become balls of blue fire and Bulma thought briefly that 18's stare alone would kill her. 18's grip tightened on her and her teeth bared.

"Listen close and listen good. I love Krillin. Understood?"18's voice had become loud and dark, "He has no reason to chase you, to pawn for you anymore. And calling him a liar is a sick way to convice yourself that he does. I don't care how upset you are that you lost your chance with the greatest guy on earth, I will not let you ruin mine. Is that clear?"she released Bulma and backed away. Bulma locked eyes with her.

"'Greatest guy on earth'? Hardly."Bulma screamed as they heard the door open. They both ignored it, "What in Kami's name makes you think I have ever wanted Krillin for myself? That's about as believable as you wanting him?"Her breathing was heavy and her fist had clenched at her side. Her eyes held challenge.

"Must be pretty believable then."18 answered accpecting the challenge Bulma offered. "Since I do want him, and do love him. You know why you're upset?"18 asked venom in her voice, "Because every time you find a man, you think you found the perfect guy. He's always handsome and suave. He's got that air of a conceited bad boy that you lap up like a dog. Nothing else matters. Nothing."

"But then,"she continued pacing around the other girl, "You realize no matter how much he cares for you or even loves you he will never give you what you want. Admiration. He will never stay up late to gaze at you or whisper sweet nothings to you. He won't sit up thinking of the best ways to make you feel special. He shows he cares only by being yours. To him that's enough, but for you it's not." Bulma's face fell. She wanted to retort. She wanted to come back with something big, but. . . she couldn't. There was too much truth in 18 words. Her eyes found the ground.

"That's all okay however because you had Krillin."18 continued sharply, "He stayed up at night wondering what you were doing. He watched you with amazement as you worked and dreamed of your face at night."18's voice lost power and was framed with jealousy as she continued, "He watched you sleep at night and thought of the day when you'd look back at him with the same longing and love. . ."her voice broke. But soon her words regained their power.

"And you used him. You used him to satisfy your need for admiration. You could have your cake and eat it too. Vegeta or Yamcha was your show dog. They were the one you'd show off to the world. Meanwhile you took sweet pleasure knowing that somewhere _he_ was looking at your picture and crying for you." Bulma looked back up at her and her face reddened worse than it had all day.

"None of that's true."she screamed, "I love him. I do. I just can't fully love him because. . ."she stopped. She couldn't love Krillin because of the image he gave the world. She knew that already. But Bulma was not about to give in.

"None of that proves that you **_do_** love him."she yelled advancing on 18 again, "So tell me why do you love him?"she asked mockingly and noticed for the first time that Krillin had joined them out side. He was standing there tears in his eyes and confusion staining his face. 'Now' Bulma thought 'Now he'll know what she really thinks.'

"You want proof that I love him?!"18 yelled back at her catching her off guard, "Tell me Bulma, when was the last time you looked at Krillin and wondered how someone so abused could have such a big heart? Or thought to yourself how any girl could miss how sweet and caring he really was? Have you ever looked at him and seen a man willing to die for you, willing to let the whole world suffer because he can't bring you pain? I have. I have many times." 18 then turned her back on the other women and did not seem surprised to find her boy friend there. She walked away from Bulma as fast as she could.

"I **love** Krillin"she added reaching the door of Kame house, "And I don't need to prove that to you or anyone else for that matter. I'm not so shallow that I can't see past appearances. Krillin loves me with everything he has. And that's all that matters. If you can't accept that then I never want to see you around me or him again. I won't let you hurt him anymore."With that she turned on her heels and walked inside slamming the door on her way. Leaving Bulma alone with her thoughts and Krillin.

Bulma looked over at her small friend. He wasn't looking at her, but rather the spot where his girlfriend had been. Then without a word he walked toward Bulma and stopped almost three feet away. At first Bulma thought he might apologize for 18's actions, but one look at his face told her differently. Instead he looked away from her and asked in the quietest voice she had ever heard from him.

"Is all that true?"even though he looked away it was clear that hurt stained his eyes. She realized all at once that 18 was right. All this time she had loved the attention he gave her, the wonderment he held in his face when he saw her. All this time. She had never loved Krillin. She loved the attention and satisfaction that he gave her that was all. Before now she hadn't even known it.

"I don't know."she answered equally quiet. Then she looked to where the house lay and realized what was wrong with it. It was no longer her sanctuary. She could no longer come here and cry to him. He would no longer hold her and tell her how great she was. They would share nothing more of that from this point on. It was over, over before it had even begun.

Bulma then entered her copter and started it. The wind picked up and she saw Krillin look her way at last. Then strangely enough he smiled, and Bulma smiled back. She knew some part of him would always love her, just like part of her had always loved him. They could truly be friends now, nothing would come between them again.

Krillin turned back toward his home and walked to the door. But he was absolutely sure he heard Bulma's voice cry out over the waves and the blades of her helicopter. It was mingled with hurt and relief but it was clear. "Congratulation Krillin. She really loves you."

Well I tried my best. It feels a little random and I'm not sure if the ending makes sense. Maybe because it's kind of rushed at the end. I both like it and don't like. Maybe after some feed back I can tweek it some so it fits a little better. So please tell me what you think.

Review please.

Kap.


End file.
